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Not in Our Classrooms in Church and State

NCSE's executive director Eugenie C. Scott discussed the new book Not in Our Classrooms: Why Intelligent Design is Wrong for Our Schools, which she coedited with NCSE's deputy director Glenn Branch, with Church and State, the monthly journal of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. In the interview, which appears in the October 2006 issue of Church and State, Scott succinctly outlines the case against teaching "intelligent design" in the public schools:

ID should not be taught both for pedagogical and legal reasons. The few scientific claims that ID makes are not supported by the evidence, and the view of science it incorporates is greatly different than that of mainstream science. ID is therefore pedagogically unsuitable for presentation in a science class. And, because it is a sectarian religious dogma, it should not be advocated in the public schools in any class. In summary, intelligent design is a sectarian religious dogma masquerading as science.

She also discusses the history, diversity, and destiny of the creationist movement -- "as long as such a large percentage of the American population believes that they have to choose between evolution and their faith, we will have controversies about the teaching of evolution," she concludes -- and the need for continued vigilance: "Know what your school board members stand for when it comes to the teaching of evolution. Support candidates who will do a good job. It's a cliché, but you get the government you deserve."

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